Description

Environmental devastation, a significant consequence of industrial activity in Soviet times, continues to be a major problem in Russia. Specific problems include radioactive pollutants from inadequately monitored nuclear plants, illegal logging and wildlife poaching which have grown into hugely profitable businesses for criminal gangs, and toxic waste from unsanctioned and poorly controlled metallurgical, petroleum and agricultural chemical industries. This book presents a wide ranging assessment of the environmental problems faced by Russia and of the crime and corruption which contribute to them. It also discusses the attitude of the Russian government which seems to view environmental protection as something for rich countries, something to be postponed until Russia is on the same economic footing as wealthier Scandinavian and western European countries. It concludes, gloomily, that the problems are getting worse and that little is being done to tackle them.

Reviews

"The book does make a valuable contribution in bringing together work from Russian experts and making it available to a wider audience. The technical detail means that the collection will be of interest to readers seeking to gain a greater understanding of the extent of key environmental problems and their management in Russia." THOMAS O’BRIEN Cranfield University at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

"…taken as a whole, the empirical chapters are indicative of widespread and somewhat convoluted corrupt activities with respect to certain natural resources, intensified by the accidental infringement of environmental legislation in some cases. As such, they provide a useful basis for future work in this area." Jonathan D. Oldfield, University of Birmingham

Table of Contents

Introduction Sally Stoecker and Ramziyá Shakirova 1. Envisaging Environmental Crime in Russia: Past and Present Realities Sally Stoecker and Ramziyá Shakirova 2. Russia’s Nuclear Industry and the Environment Dmitriy Samokhin and Alexander Nakhabov 3. Forest Auctions in Russia: How Anticorruption Laws Facilitate the Development of Corrupt Practices Svetlana Tulaeva 4. Combating Corruption and Organized Crime in the Forest Sector, Trans-Lake Baikal Territory Yekaterina Pisareva 5. Environmental Crimes on the Territory Adjacent to the Petroleum-Storage Facility in the Town of Kama in the Kambarsk Region of the Udmurt Republic Larisa Pervushina 6. The Impact of Metallurgical and Cement Industrial Waste on Central Russia’s Environment Elena Bocharnikova 7. Environmental Contamination and Public Health in the Republics of Tatarstan and Mari El, Russian Federation Nailya Davletova

About the Editors

Sally Stoecker is a Scholar-in-Residence, School of International Studies, American University, Washington, DC, USA.

Ramziya Shakirova is a research analyst at Independent Project Analysis (www.ipaglobal.com) and holds a doctorate in Public Policy from the School of Public Policy, George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA.